Art + Food Labels: Another Country Heard From

And, in marrying Famous Art to food packaging, that country will not be outdone.

With this Japanese product of the mid-1980s, the use of European masterpieces was as literal as could be: biscuits topped by molded chocolate reproductions of art works—


In good Japanese product education style, each work is explained for maximum consumer enlightenment. This applies not only to the merchandise, but also to the cultural artifacts represented—


Stats for each work of art are laid out: title, year created, dimensions of the piece, medium used, artist's name, and other identifying details—


These cookies were a common item, until disappearing at some point around '86 or '87. I missed them; they were tasty, along with providing entertaining and informative box reading.

They also provided odd associations at snack time.

After all, it was interesting that the subsidiary of a major U.S. brand would sell a product suggesting consumers munch on

Or take a naughty bite out of

For Export Only?

Well, there I was in Big Lots, home of mystery brands.

I was out of oil, the price was good...and, how could I resist this label?



Although something tells me their name isn't "Botticelli," there may be a fine Italian family behind this product, as the company's proclaimed "five generations of experience" tries to suggest.

It's perfectly good oil, and I've gone through half the bottle in a few months.

Luckily, that was before reading the taster reviews here...

While a few tasters liked this "potent" oil, others said they detected "mushroom," "rotten walnuts," "a Band-Aid wrapped in a cherry blossom," and a quality that was "downright medicinal-Triaminic, anyone?" Several deemed it "overpowering" and "musky," with a "rank, off-flavor." "Tastes not like olives but like the armpits of olive laborers," shuddered one.

I quote those for entertainment purposes only; I may have been lucky, but my batch tastes fine.

But then, I am a sucker for this kind of labeling.

There was that can of tomatoes schlepped from Canada in the early 1990s, just for the label that's been part of my kitchen décor ever since:

I don't know if this packaging is a tipoff that the products are for export. Italians certainly have a cultural legacy to advertise, but I never saw this kind of product labeling while traveling there. While playing up the glories of the Italian Renaissance to outsiders may be good marketing, perhaps Italians feel secure enough in knowing about this stuff that they don't need to be reminded by a "musterpiece" on an everyday product—

In any case, I like the overly dramatic linkage of label with content.

From on high: the creation of man...

And, a nice can of peeled tomatoes!

Madame La Jeanne of Kalamazoo

From the "Free" table at a rummage sale: Sister J. picked up the items below, for a friend who collects such things.

Not that I, who scan and take pictures of the stuff, am in a position to criticize other people's hobbies—

Instructions for use—The design is possibly from the late 1940s or early 1950s, though there's no telling when these may have been produced, or how long the company was in business. The penciled price is likely original—from the days of 5 and 10¢ stores, and small local businesses like dry goods shops.

From time to time, J. reminds me of how the old Woolworth stores had consistent stock, year after year—goods made by U.S. companies, some which must have been small factories making a single product for a dependable retailer. J. also reminds me that, despite the cheapness of Woolworth's goods, the quality was vastly superior to almost anything we can find now.

"La Jeanne": an American small manufacturer from the days before quick turnover of truly shoddy products—no need to do more than slap a designer label on 'em.

November - Card of the Month

Japanese post card, c. 1960s-1970s; captioned on reverse—

"Shichi-Go-San," Children's Shrine Visiting Day – November 15

On this date, girls of seven ("Shichi" means seven in Japanese), boys of five ("Go") and boys and girls of three ("San"), wearing their best dresses, go to the local shrines accompanied by their parents to pray for future blessing upon them.

Autumn Leaves

Seasonal notes, from library sale packets of children's book illustrations. (Previous example.)

This was first published in 1948: Now It's Fall, by Lois Lenski.


It's part of her "Seasons Series," described in this bibliography:

Using a rhyming text and simplified illustrations, Lenski depicts the change of seasons as it affects children: windy days, gardening, playing outside, and celebrating holidays such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas... All the books use a child-size format.

There's no sign of when this particular printing was. But the look is very different from the "gently recolored" pages of the latest (2000) edition, as a few preview pages demonstrate.

And cut from an unknown book—

Other side—
The clothes might belong to almost any time from the 1920s-40s.

But, fashion was on a somewhat longer cycle then.

A Topical Interlude

c. late 1940s to early 1950s

The publisher—
The humor in the "Wall Street" joke might come from the 1920s boom: everyone—but everyone—is getting into The Market, could be one read.

The vivid color seems to be post-World War II; compare with a wartime card from the same company—

"Milwaukee, WI: E. C. Kropp... Back of postcard is postmarked 1942."
[Card and notes found here.]

The country truly was "all out" for defense in the 1940s, with the war effort and beginning of economic recovery taking precedence in daily life. While I suspect Wall Street wasn't much of a presence in the public mind, it was there right after the war was won: part of the setting for ticker-tape parades.

From the Metropolitan Postcard Club of New York City is this entry in the list of publisher names starting "K"—

E. C. Kropp Co. 1907-1956
Milwaukee, WI

A publisher and printer that began producing chromolithographic souvenir cards and private mailing cards in 1898 under the name Kropp. These cards were of much higher quality than those that would printed under the E.C. Kropp name.

They became the E.C. Kropp Company in 1907 and produced large numbers of national view-cards and other subjects. Their latter linen cards had a noticibly fine grain. Sold to L.L. Cook in 1956 and they are now part of the GAF Corp. U.S.

This Kropp novelty card, too, is printed very nicely on linen card—which seems a bit incongruous for such a silly gag.

Though I'm not completely sure of the joke's intent.

On "Wall Street" we have two dogs at a lamp post—a prop leading to canine reaction, create "pool"...

While I suppose it was meant as a naughty joke about doggie
leg-lifting, the gag also seems to have a negative undertone about Wall Street.

During the late 1940s-50s, Americans were still close enough to the Depression for many people to have a negative image of Wall Street and big business; this, after all, was the reason post-war corporations put so much effort into turning their public images homey and friendly.

Well, I choose to see the Kropp card as an unflattering comment about Wall Street. And indoctrinated as Americans may have become in the decades since this was printed, things have always been about class warfare. Which is increasingly in our faces; for example here, and here.

Whether criticism of unregulated capitalism is labeled "class warfare," or the mass media treat protest as something done by clueless hippies: the reality in our current, unacknowledged economic depression is more like this.

October - Card of the Month

Japanese post card, c. 1960s-1970s; captioned on reverse—

October
Best Season in Japan

Autumn is said the best season in Japan for it is neither too hot nor too cold. Children have picnics on a field with their friends and sing the joys of their healthy life on the green.